You know, it's easy for people to bash NBA players. They're thugs (aka young and black) they don't care about the game, they won't represent their country, etc.

But, during the WBC's, the unthinkable happened. No, not the USA losing to Greece. An All-Star player hurt himself. Pau Gasol, leader of both the Spaniards and more importantly the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, will be sidelined for 3 months with a broken foot he suffered at the FIBA WBC's just last week.

So let's see. Missing all of camp/preseason, the first month of the real season, and probably a week or two (at best) of December.

So was it worth it? I mean, the NBA has a long season, but the Grizzlies could be ****ed here. They're starting off the season without their leader, and when he does come back, he's going to be getting into playing shape, trying to fit in with new guys, the flow of the game, etc. He probably won't even be NBA ready until January, because IMO you can ride the bike or run sprints all day, but it still isn't the same as banging with other guys, up and down the court, for 48 minutes.

So, thoughts? We had a small scare with Melo's ankle. What if it had been serious? Would it have been worth it?